Steven Malcolm - The Overflow DevoSample

The Struggle

Life is hard. Many things in us and around us are broken and clearly not the way they should be.

The first coming of Jesus marked the beginning of a new Kingdom that is not of this world. A Kingdom where Jesus is the King, and where all things are being reconciled to the Father through Jesus. However, we still exist in this sort of “in-between”. As Christ followers, we have been eternally and irrevocably redeemed by God, through Jesus, and we also still face a daily struggle with internal sin and the sin and evil that still exists in the world around us.

Romans 8:22-25: “For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit (of God), groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons (and daughters), the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”

Creation groans for things to be different...and so do we.

Though we live in the struggle, we also wait, with expectant hope, that someday soon, we and all of creation will be made new, made right again, through the second coming of Jesus our King. Consider these words from Revelation, describing the eternal climate of our future home with Jesus:

Revelation 21:1-4: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

There is tremendous hope and joy to be experienced in this life through Jesus. And, when the “struggle gets real”, when life hurts the most, when our faith feels the most fragile, when our circumstances seem the most unfair and confusing, we can lean close into God’s promises. In His Word He has promised to help and comfort us as a nurturing parent would a frightened child. He does so through the power of His Holy Spirit, the great Comforter of God’s people! So let us encourage one another, when times get tough, to rest in the comfort and power of His Holy Spirit and the unshakeable love of God, for us, even when we sin, because of faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross!

The gospel of Jesus is our story of hope in the midst of the struggle. Rejoice in Him! Who is He giving you the opportunity to encourage today through this wonderful truth?